If you don’t yet have gray hair you can thank your parents because how early you become gray can depend a bit on genetics.  Getting gray hair is a natural part of aging and happens when the hair cells in shaft stop making pigment.  Once your hair starts losing pigment the color will fade and turn gray.  While there is not much that you can do to stop this process you can slow it down -for a while.

Here are some tips you can take that can slow down the advance of gray hair:

1.  Give up smoking: It has been scientifically proven that smoking will age your entire body and that includes making your hair go gray.  A 1997 by researchers in England discovered that smokers were up to four times as likely to have gray hair as their non-smoking counterparts. It’s yet another reason why smokers should ditch the habit.

2.  Avoid Stress:  Some doctors believe that stress causes the melanin production in the hair follicles to die quicker. And while this has not been scientifically proven, we do know that stress is harmful to the body. So if you’re stressed out take a a nice long run, try yoga or meditate. The results can only be beneficial.

3.  Add more B12 or Folic Acid to your diet: A B12 or Folic Acid deficiency can cause gray hair so make sure that you’re getting enough vitamins and nutrients in your diet. Some vegetables that contain B12 are seaweed, soybeans, and carrots and Folic Acid can be found in spinach, romaine lettuce and asparagus.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I have gray hair – I started going gray at age 21. And for myself heredity played a very important part in getting my first gray hairs, since my mother also began to gray at 21. However I’m one of those women that likes to fight the aging process “every step of the way”.  So if you’re young at heart, like myself and want to look your age, I’m sure you will enjoy these tips on learning how to avoid gray hair.  A few simple lifestyle changes can really improve many aspects of your life, so enjoy!